Jean Hanagriffs Crawfish Thermidor Recipes

CRAWFISH THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 small to medium sized ramekins.
• In a skillet, melt the butter and add mushrooms and white wine; simmer for about 8 minutes. Add the crawfish tails and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Gradually blend in flour, salt, and red pepper flakes. Slowly drizzle in the milk, stirring constantly and cook until mixture thickens.
• Pour mixture into the prepared ramekins. Sprinkle the top of each with a pinch of paprika.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.

SCHRAFFT'S LOBSTER THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Split lobsters down the middle and remove and reserve meat from tail and claws. Discard everything from the head and remove the front legs, without detaching the cartilage that holds the head and tail together. Rinse and dry shells and set aside.
• Cut reserved meat into 1/2-inch dice. Sauté in 2 tablespoons butter, add shallot, lemon juice, paprika and cayenne until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. In another pan, sauté mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until tender.
• Set aside mushrooms and lobster meat. Melt the remaining butter in the pan the lobster was cooked in. Stir in the flour and mustard and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the stock, then the cream, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the lobster and mushrooms and cook 2 more minutes. Season with salt, pepper and lemon.
• Spoon mixture into the shells, sprinkle with cheese and bake until the cheese is lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

LOBSTER THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Plunge lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water*. Loosely cover pot and cook lobsters over moderately high heat 9 minutes from time they enter water, then transfer with tongs to sink to cool.
• When lobsters are cool enough to handle, twist off claws and crack them, then remove meat. Halve lobsters lengthwise with kitchen shears, beginning from tail end, then remove tail meat, reserving shells. Cut all lobster meat into 1/4-inch pieces. Discard any remaining lobster innards, then rinse and dry shells.
• Heat butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushrooms, stirring, until liquid that mushrooms give off is evaporated and they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add lobster meat, paprika, salt, and pepper and reduce heat to low. Cook, shaking pan gently, 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon Sherry and 1/2 cup hot cream and simmer 5 minutes.
• Whisk together yolks and remaining tablespoon Sherry in a small bowl. Slowly pour remaining 1/2 cup hot cream into yolks, whisking constantly, and transfer to a small heavy saucepan. Cook custard over very low heat, whisking constantly, until it is slightly thickened and registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Add custard to lobster mixture, stirring gently.
• Preheat broiler.
• Arrange lobster shells, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan and spoon lobster with some of sauce into shells. Broil lobsters 6 inches from heat until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve remaining sauce on the side.
• When salting water for cooking, use 1 tablespoon salt for every 4 quarts water.

LOBSTER THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Cut the lobster in half lengthwise, and remove the meat from the claws and tail. Leave to one side. Remove any meat from the head and set aside. Cut the meat up into pieces and place back into the shell.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot; cook and stir until tender. Mix in the fish stock, white wine and double cream. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half. Mix in the mustard, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Preheat your oven's broiler.
• Place the lobster halves on a broiling pan or baking sheet, and spoon the sauce over the lobster meat in the shell. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.
• Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, just until golden brown. Serve immediately.